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For whatever reason, fans of the Boston Bruins have a knack for just fixating on a trade target.
In 2009,
Jarome Iginla was the guy for the Bruins. They had to get him. Iginla, still committed to the Flames at the time, eventually became
Rick Nash. Over time, Nash became
Bobby Ryan. And when Ryan went to Ottawa, and Iginla finally came to Boston, the eyes of those wearing Black-and-Gold glasses turned to Winnipeg’s
Evander Kane.
If you ask anybody, the 22-year-old Kane is exactly what the B’s need. And after three years in Winnipeg, it seems as if the fallout between Kane and the Jets is on the way. Many have questioned Kane’s efforts, and those in Winnipeg tend to believe that he doesn’t want to be there. In three years as the Jets, making to move from Atlanta in 2011, Kane’s tallied 66 goals and 131 points in 185 games. All of that while being considered out of shape, uncaring, and/or immature.
Put him in Boston and that’ll change, thinks everybody. Well, hold on for a quick minute here.
Last summer, the alleged immaturity of
Tyler Seguin played a major factor in his eventual trade out of town. The Bruins were unhappy with Seguin’s rumored partying issues, nor were they keen on the company he kept during his three-year tenure in the Hub. That, combined with some frustrating playoff performances, made the Bruins feel that Seguin’s $5.75 million per year cap-hit had a chance to become more of an albatross than asset to the club. Whether they were right or wrong in that regard remains to be seen, especially after just one year, but why in the world would that same club decide to invest assets and nearly the same money to a player with the same ‘issues’?
It was less than 12 months ago when the Bruins, fresh on the heels of watching
Zdeno Chara look human against Chicago, told everyone that weren’t ‘babysitting’ any longer.
There’s optimism around Kane ditching the ‘Peg for Boston, though. A former Vancouver Giant -- much like Boston top-liner
Milan Lucic -- some believe that Lucic could be a guy that gets Kane in a mindset that takes his game to the next level. And if not Lucic, then Iginla, a pending unrestricted free agent but also one of Kane’s idols growing up, could do the trick. In fact, in a room like the B’s, with veterans and experience in just about every stall, there’s no way Kane’s ‘bad habits’ could show. I think we can all agree that it’s a nice thought, sure, but it’s also completely unfounded.
But if Kane is in play and the Bruins want in, what’s an appropriate cost?
Well, if we’d like to connect some dots here, perhaps Joe Haggerty’s report on CSNNE sheds some light on just what could head Winnipeg’s way in a hypothetical trade for the 6-foot-2 Kane.
From
CSNNE:
Hockey sources have indicated to CSNNE.com that the Bruins are going to be very active in the trade market leading up to the July free agency period, despite public assertions by Peter Chiarelli and Cam Neely that the roster only needs some “tweaks.”
Players such as Brad Marchand ($4.5 million cap hit) and/or Johnny Boychuk ($3.66 million cap hit) could be moved, based on a combination of salary cap hardship for Boston, and considerably high value on the trade market. The Bruins have roughly $9 million to sign Reilly Smith, Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, Shawn Thornton, Jarome Iginla – or a suitable replacement right wing for the B’s top line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic -- and a backup goaltender. That isn’t nearly enough cap space for more than 25 percent of the NHL roster.
So, in theory, a package centered around Marchand and Boychuk moves at least $8.16 million out of town, and a Kane returns counts for $5.25 million against your cap. That creates just under $3 million to address another open spot on the roster (as mentioned by Haggerty). To most, this is a solid idea, and there’s certainly a chance for Kane to be a value at that price two years from now.
But there are a few problems with that plan.
For one, you’re moving a legitimate top-four defender out of town without a replacement in town. While the progression of
Dougie Hamilton is undeniably noticeable for the Black-and-Gold, I don’t think that
Kevan Miller or
Adam McQuaid are ready to be in that role, nor can you bank on a healthy
Dennis Seidenberg for 82 games plus after tearing his ACL last season. And it’s not as if you can just find a replacement on the free agent market that’ll simply step in and play like Boychuk has for this club for years now.
Then there’s the idea of moving Marchand. Now, the 5-foot-9 agitator is without question the most polarizing figure in Boston’s hockey scene right now. You either love what he brings to the club, or you’ve had enough after two straight playoff duds and want to move on. Marchand’s reputation is certainly hurting his own game at this point -- look at those heinous calls against him in Boston’s Game 7 loss to Montreal this year -- and he seems to be the subject of every fan’s summertime rage.
I’m of the belief that Marchand still has tremendous value for the Bruins. He’s the second leg of perhaps the league’s best forward penalty-killing duo with
Patrice Bergeron, and still managed to score 25 goals despite not skating on a single one of Boston’s lethal power-play units for more than a quick minute here and there in 2013-14. Even with all of his ‘extra-curricular’ antics on the ice, Marchand’s even strength game means a lot to the Bruins, and moving that would be tough. Especially when you’re a team that puts as much emphasis on that side of the game as the B’s do.
Talents like Kane are rarely made available on the trade market, and I do think that the Bruins would be foolish to not consider talking with the Jets about him if he is indeed available, but it’s the asking price, recent history with a similar talent, and money-phones that tell me that this one might not as great of a fit as people are going to tell you every single day this summer.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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